WARREN — Beginning this week, families of Trumbull County jail inmates will have a new option to deliver items to the jail.

Keefe Commissary, the county’s commissary provider, has added an option that allows families to order care packages online for inmates.

County commissioners approved the change to the county’s existing contract with Keefe, which comes at no cost to the county, on March 22. In fact, the county will earn 30 percent of the total sales of the inmate packages.

“It’s just like an Amazon for inmates,” Commissioner Denny Malloy said at the workshop meeting.

Trumbull County Sheriff’s Maj. Dan Mason, jail administrator, said the companies involved are working out a few problems, but he is hopeful the program will go online this week.

Keefe supplies items such as hygiene products, snacks and workout clothes for inmates. Mason said when an inmate is booked into the jail, any money they have on them goes into an inmate trust fund. That money can be used to purchase commissary items.

Families also add money to inmates’ accounts online or in person at the sheriff’s office. Any money not used when an inmate is released is given to the inmate on a Visa gift card.

Inmates get to pick the items they want. The order goes out on Thursday and it is delivered to the jail on Saturday. The only items inmates can get that are not through the commissary are books, which can be delivered to the jail, but they have to come directly from the seller.

Mason said there had been problems with people putting contraband in books that they dropped off for inmates, so that is no longer allowed.

With this new option, families will be able to go online, pick out items and have them sent to the jail.

“It’s like when you’re in college and your family wants to send you a care package,” Mason said.

He said most of what is currently available for inmates to pick out will be available for families to choose. Some of the items are made especially for jails. For example, Mason said the toothbrushes bend so they cannot be sharpened. Some items are not sold at all, such as spicy snacks that inmates can crush up and throw into people’s faces, or coffee creamer — which is flammable.

Once the new option is up and running, families will be able to make orders on the sheriff’s website. Mason said families will be able to place orders once per month. Inmates still will have the existing option to pick out their own items, as well.